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It was narrated from Aishah that: the Messenger of Allah said: “Marriage is part of my sunnah, and whoever does not follow my sunnah has nothing to do with me. Get married, for I will boast of your great numbers before the nations. Whoever has the means, let him get married, and whoever does not, then he should fast for it will diminish his desire.” Ibn Majah 1846

what is the context of this hadith? anyone who doesn't marries has nothing to do with prophet?

Medi1Saif
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1 Answers1

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Why Hafidh Zubair 'Ali Zi'a declared this "hassan" is a big question

First of all the hadith you've quoted is one of the da'if narrations which declare remaining unmarried as something bad.

The reason for it weakness is the narrator 'Isa ibn Maymun (from Medina the companion of al-Qasim via whom this hadith was transmitted) عِيسَى بْنُ مَيْمُونٍ who was declared as weak by scholars such as ibn Ma'yn, ibn Hebban, abu Hathim ar-Razi and as rejected and an author of manakeer by an-Nasa-i and al-Bukhari and an author of fabricated hadith acocrding to abu Nu'ym.

Therefore this hadith can hardly be reliable. Why Zubair 'Ali Zi'a declared it hassan is rather unclear maybe he would declare it hassan lighayrihi due to the hadith I'll share as other (including earlier) scholars considered it having a Sahih witness, but they agree on its weakness. But I wonder if this technically is a good and accurate approach. As both al-Busiri شهاب الدين البوصيري died 839 a.H. (in his Misbaah az-zujaja fi Zawa'idi ibn Majah كتاب مصباح الزجاجة في زوائد ابن ماجه see here) and ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani in his Talkhees al-Hibeer (hadith #1530) تلخيص الحبير declared it as da'if. As-Sindi السندي in his commentary (Hashiat as-Sindi حاشية السندي) of Sunan ibn Majah also stated (you will find this sentence in more or less the same wording in all three linked sources):
Here and in the following I'm translating from Arabic language. As these translations are of my own take them carefully.

إسناده ضعيف لاتفاقهم على ضعف عيسى بن ميمون المديني (Source)
It's sanad is da'if as they (scholars/experts) agreed that 'isa ibn Maymun al-Madani is da'if.

All three scholars mentioned above agreed that the hadith itself has a witness in the sahih which can be regarded as the context.

As-Sindi in his commentary explains the hadith as follows:

( النكاح ) أي طلب النساء بالوجه المشروع في الدين (من سنتي ) من طريقتي التي سلكتها وسبيلي التي ندبتها (فمن لم يعمل بسنتي ) رغبة وإعراضا عنها وقلة مبالاة بها فلا يشمل الحديث من يترك النكاح لعدم تيسر المؤن أو للاشتغال بالعبادة ونحو ذلك
(Marriage) i.e. seeking a relationship women in the way that is lawful in religion (from my sunnah) from my path that I have followed and my path that I have recommended (for someone who does not act upon my Sunnah) out of desire (intentionally) and rejected it (turns away from it) and or take it with indifference. The hadith does not include one who abandons marriage because supplies are not available or to be busy with worship and so on.

The possible context of this narration and the related commentary of ibn Hajar

A possible context of this hadith snippet is mentioned in other longer versions of it. A couple of young sahabah() wanted to challenge each other and show how pious they are by refraining from eating (and fasting the whole life), by refraining from women (and remain unmarried) and by praying the night (and not sleep) etc.

Narrated Anas bin Malik:
A group of three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) asking how the Prophet (ﷺ) worshipped (Allah), and when they were informed about that, they considered their worship insufficient and said, "Where are we from the Prophet (ﷺ) as his past and future sins have been forgiven." Then one of them said, "I will offer the prayer throughout the night forever." The other said, "I will fast throughout the year and will not break my fast." The third said, "I will keep away from the women and will not marry forever." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came to them and said, "Are you the same people who said so-and-so? By Allah, I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you; yet I fast and break my fast, I do sleep and I also marry women. So he who does not follow my tradition in religion, is not from me (not one of my followers). (Sahih al-Bukhari)

When the prophet () heard their talks or it reached him he spoke to the audience without naming them and disapproved these deeds saying that they contradict his sunnah. Which means his path or way of life or practice. The term sunnah here is not referring to that which is related to fard or wajib, but to the literal meaning which is a personal choice of life and can differ from one person to another.

Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani commented the last sentence of this hadith as follows in his fath al-Bary فتح الباري -see here-:

قوله ( فمن رغب عن سنتي فليس مني ) المراد بالسنة الطريقة لا التي تقابل الفرض ، والرغبة عن الشيء الإعراض عنه إلى غيره ، The statement (So he who does not follow my tradition in religion, is not from me) What is meant by the "sunnah" here is the path (way of life), not the one that corresponds to the obligation "fard", and not following something is to turn away from it to something else.

والمراد من ترك طريقتي وأخذ بطريقة غيري فليس مني ، ولمح بذلك إلى طريق الرهبانية فإنهم الذين ابتدعوا التشديد كما وصفهم الله تعالى وقد عابهم بأنهم ما وفوه بما التزموه ،
What is meant is that he who left my way and adopted someone else’s way is not from me, and he alluded to this in the way of monasticism, for they are the ones who invented strictness and going to extremes in religious matters as Allah Almighty described them, and HE blamed them for not fulfilling what they committed.

وطريقة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم الحنيفية السمحة فيفطر ليتقوى على الصوم وينام ليتقوى على القيام ويتزوج لكسر الشهوة وإعفاف النفس وتكثير النسل .
And the way of the Prophet Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him is the tolerant Hanafyyah, so he breaks his fast to be strong in (next/later) fasting, sleeps to be strong in standing (in the night prayer), and gets married to break lust, chaste the nafs, and increase offspring.

وقوله فليس مني إن كانت الرغبة بضرب من التأويل يعذر صاحبه فيه فمعنى " فليس مني " أي على طريقتي ولا يلزم أن يخرج عن الملة وإن كان إعراضا وتنطعا يفضي إلى اعتقاد أرجحية عمله فمعنى فليس مني ليس على ملتي لأن اعتقاد ذلك نوع من الكفر .
And his saying, “is not from me.” If not following it is of a kind of interpretation which excuses the person, then the meaning of “it is not from me,” i.e. according to my way, and does not have to deviate from the religion. But if it is reluctance and deviation that leads to a belief that his action is more righteous, he is not from me means is not according to my religion, because belief in that is a kind of unbelief.

وفي الحديث دلالة على فضل النكاح والترغيب فيه ، وفيه تتبع أحوال الأكابر للتأسي بأفعالهم وأنه إذا تعذرت معرفته من الرجال جاز استكشافه من النساء ، وأن من عزم على عمل بر واحتاج إلى إظهاره حيث يأمن الرياء لم يكن ذلك ممنوعا . And in the hadith is an indication of the virtue of marriage and the encouragement of it. And in it follows the wisdom of the elders to follow their actions and that if it is not possible to know it from men, it is permissible to explore it from women. Further it indicates that whoever resolves to do a good deed and needs to show it where it is safe from showing off, that is not forbidden.

We further know that it is generally the sunnah (way of life) of the prophets () to get married and therefore this is highly recommended.
Allah said in this context:

Then We sent following their footsteps Our messengers and followed [them] with Jesus, the son of Mary, and gave him the Gospel. And We placed in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy and monasticism, which they innovated; ... (57:27)

But nevertheless a person (male or female) could choose to stay lonely and among the most prominent scholars imam an-Nawawi is known to have remained unmarried.
Further note that none of the reports pretending that remaining unmarried is sinful or bad was declared authentic by the hadith scholars! See also islamqa #96977 (available in Arabic, Urdu and Indonesian).

What is the point in the hadith?

The point here is that these young sahabah() wanted to go to extremes in religious matters and this is what the prophet () was disapproving as he said in another hadith:

... ‘O people, beware of exaggeration in religious matters for those who came before you were doomed because of exaggeration in religious matters.’”
(Sunan ibn Majah and Sunan an-Nasa-i)

And Allah ordered his prophet () and therefore us saying:

So remain on a right course as you have been commanded, [you] and those who have turned back with you [to Allah ], and do not transgress. Indeed, He is Seeing of what you do. (11:112)

And Allah the Almighty also said informing us that going to extremes and declaring lawful things unlawful is wrong:

Say, "Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of provision?" Say, "They are for those who believe during the worldly life [but] exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection." Thus do We detail the verses for a people who know. (7:32)

Therefore as long as you haven't declared your opposition to the sunnah of the prophet(), even if you choose to do otherwise in specific matters you have not committed any sin. On the other hand if you were told such and such is sunnah and you said something "I dislike it" this would be an issue.

What is meant by sunnah in the hadith is "the whole package" which refers to our prophet's() religiousness and he () was not among those going to extremes as the hadith (of al-Bukhari) shows when saying:

... I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you; yet I fast and break my fast, I do sleep and I also marry women. So he who does not follow my tradition in religion, is not from me (not one of my followers)

You may find a statement of 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aas () who was one of these sahabah in Is there a hadith describing the importance of sleep?.

See also the following fatwa islamqa #103889 or islamqa.org(Hanafi) fatwa #157435.

See also: Abdullah's answer on Is it permitted to not get married?

Medi1Saif
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  • Ok. So if someone doesn't marry, he/she has got nothing to do with Prophet? –  Aug 03 '21 at 18:02
  • @inb, it means "you have not done my sunnah" and it means you have missed the opportunity to earn hasanat as for following sunnah there is reward. –  Aug 04 '21 at 04:38
  • @Muslim The Hadith says "he has nothing to do with me", it doesn't say "he has missed a big reward". –  Aug 04 '21 at 10:33
  • @Medi1Saif I don't really understand. Prophet has explicitly said "anyone who doesnt marry (willingly), he has got nothing to do with me" and you are saying "it is Ok not to marry"? –  Aug 04 '21 at 11:12
  • @Medi1Saif "Therefore as long as you haven't declared your opposition to the sunnah of the prophet(), even if you choose to do otherwise you have not committed any sin."... By this logic, I can shave my beard, don't pray any Sunnah rakahs, don't do anything Prophet has done & when asked "why", I can say "I have not declared my opposition to the Sunnah". –  Aug 04 '21 at 11:15
  • @inb and what is wrong in this logic? – Medi1Saif Aug 04 '21 at 11:21
  • @Medi1Saif Is there any Scholar in the history of Islam (8th century-19th century), who has labelled the Hadith I quoted as Daeef ?? Please provide proof. –  Aug 04 '21 at 12:05
  • @inb my evidence is the fatwa mentioned after stating that all of the narration dooming to remain unmarried are weak. – Medi1Saif Aug 04 '21 at 13:54
  • @Medi1Saif I know, but is there any Scholar in the history of Islam who has labelled the Hadith I quoted as Daeef ? Yes or No? If Yes, please provide proof –  Aug 04 '21 at 14:42
  • @inb and what are al-Busiri (mentioned in the fatwa) and ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani to you... Read the answer. If a narrator is known for manakeer and fabrication the hadith can hardly be acceptable as this is proof enough for rejecting it all together. – Medi1Saif Aug 04 '21 at 15:35
  • @Medi1Saif There is nothing in the fatwas about what I am asking.. you said "as this is proof enough for rejecting it all together", than there must be a scholar who must've labelled the hadith as daeef, right? You and I can't label the Hadith as Daeef, Hadith scholars do it.. So pls provide the proof i.e book and page number where the Ibn Majah 1846 is labelled as Daeef ?? –  Aug 04 '21 at 16:05
  • @Medi1Saif There are Hadith in al-Bukhari where he has used Kharijees as narrators so by your logic, we should reject those hadith in Bukhari as well ?? This is why I am saying, please provide simple and authentic proofs where anyone in the history of Islam has labelled the Hadith as daeef and that's it, case closed. –  Aug 04 '21 at 16:07
  • @inb are you able to read? It is both in the post and in the fatwa. By your logic a hadith from a liar and fabricator 9f wrong hadith is more reliable than a person who is of another creed, but straight forward? This logic fails in any direction. Sorry, but the answer is posted it has all required information and evidences if you fail to find them that's your failure. This discussion ends here. – Medi1Saif Aug 04 '21 at 16:08
  • @Medi1Saif I am sorry but I am not satisfied. Kharijees are worse than Liars! For example you are a Muhadith and there are only 2 persons, one you know is a Liar (but Sunni) and one you know is a Qadiani (truthful and straight), whom you will take? You will never take the Qadiani, will you? And I am sorry but I can't find what I am looking for in the answer or in the fatwa... All I asked was to simply give me a simple proof like "Ibn Hajar's book X Page X" where he has labelled the Hadith in Ibn Majah as Daeef. Case closed. If you read my comments, that's all I am asking. But anyway, thank YOu –  Aug 04 '21 at 16:48
  • @inb you didn't ask for any of these your question was about an explanation of the meaning of "my sunnah" in the hadith. Instead of bullying a person who invests time to answer your question you should have been thankful for the effort and asked your 2ndary questions in a new post. – Sassir Aug 05 '21 at 23:12
  • @Sassir yes you are right but Med1Saif said Hadith is weak so that is y the direction of discussion was changed. and if you read the above comment, i wrote 'thank you' which means i m thankful. –  Aug 06 '21 at 12:51